St. Landry democrat., 1887-03-26


tions, he folded his arms and refused tc
answer. At the very time when you
would suppose all decent men would have
applauded the heroism of the man, there
were those to hiss The Lord sent the
hornet.
And when afterward that man sat down
on the western coast Of Africa, sick and
worn perhaps in the grandest achieve
ment in the way of geographical discovery,
there were small critics all over the world
to buzz and buzz. and caricature and de-
ride him; and when a few weeks after
that he got the London papers, as he
opened them, out few the hornet
The small insect annoyances of this life
sometimes comes in the shape of local
physical trouble which does not amount
to a positive prostration, but which
bothers you when you want to feel the
best. Perhaps it IS sick
headache which has been the plague
of your life, and you appoint some occa-
sion of mirth or sociality, or usefulness,
and when the clock strikes the hour you
can not make your appearance. Per haps
the trouble is between the ear and the
forehead. in the shape of a neuralgia
twinge Nobody can see it or sympathize
with you; but just at the time when you
want your intellect clearest, and your dis
position brightest, you feel sharp keen,
disconcerting thrust. The Lord sent the
hornet.
Perhaps these small insect annoyances
will ONE in the shape of domestic irrita-
ton. The parlor and kitchen do not al
ways harmonic. To get good service and
keep it is one of the great questions of the
country. Sometimes it may be the AFRO
gancy and inconsiderateness of the en-
ployers; but whatever be the
fact, we all admit there are these
insect annoyances winging their way out
from the culinary department. If the
grace of God be not in the heart of the
housekeeper, she can not maintain her
equilibrium The men come home at night
and hear the story of these annoyances,
and say:
30, these home troubles are very little
things"
They are small, small as wasps, but they
sting Marthas nerves were all unstrung
when she rushed in asking Christ to re-
prove Mary, and there are tens of thou
sands of women who are dying, stung to
death by these pestiferous domestic an
noyances. The Lord sent the hornet.
have noticed in the history of some of
my congregation that their ammo yances
are multiplying and that they have hun
dred where they used TO have ten. The
naturalist tells US that wasp sometimes
has family of 20, 0O0 and it does seem as
if every annoyance of your life bred 1,0OO-
600. By the help of God to-day L want to
show you the other side.
The hornet is of nc use1 Oh, yes The
naturalists tell US they are very impor tant
in the worlds economy. They kill spiders
and they clear the atmosphere. And l
really believe God sends the annoyances
Of our life upon US to kill the spiders of
the soul and to clear the atmos sphere of
our skies.
These annoyances are sent on US, think,
to wake US up from our lethargy There
is nothing that makes man so lively as
nest Of syellow Jackets and / think that
these annoyances are intended to persuade
US Of the fact that this is not a world for
us to stop in. II we had bed of any
thing that was attractive and soft and
easy, what would we want of Haven't
YOU think that the hollow tree sends the
hornet, or you think the devil sends the
hornet. / want to correct your opinion.
The Lord sent the hornet.
Then I also think these annoyances
come upon us to culture our patience In
the gymnasium you find upright parallel
bars-bars with holes over each other for
pegs to be put in. Then the gymnast
takes peg in each hand and he begins to
climb, one inch at a time, or two inches,
and, getting his strength cultured, reaches
after awhile the ceiling. And it seems to
me that these annoyances in life are
moral gymnasium, each worry peg by
which we are to climb higher and higher
in Christian attainment.
We all love to see patience, but it can
not be cultured in fair weather. It is a
child of the storm. If you had every thing
desirable and there was nothing more to
get, what would you want with patiencea
The only time to cultivate it is when you
are slandered and cheated, and sick and
half dead.
s'Oh," you say, s'if I only had the cir
cumstances of some well-to-do-man l
would be patient too"
You might as well say:
'sIf it were not for this water wo-: Id
SWIM"
Or,
81 could shoot this gun if it were not for
the caps"
When you stand chin-deep in annoy
ances is the time for you to swim out to-
ward the great headlands of Christian at
tainment, and when your life is loaded to
the muzzle with repulsive annoyances-
that is the time to draw the trigger.
Nothing but the furnace will ever
burn out of US the clinker and
the Stag. have formed this theory in re-
gard to small annoyances and vexations:
1t takes just so much trouble to fit US for
usefulness and for heaven. The only
question is whether we shall take it in
bulk, or pulverized and graduated.
Here is one man that takes it in the
bulk. His back is broken, or his eyesight
put out, or some other calamity befalls
him; while the vast majority Of people take
the thing plecemeal. Which way would
you rather have it, Of course in piece
meal. Better have five aching teeth than
one booken jaw. Better ten fy-blisters
than an amputation. Better twenty
squalls than one cyclone. There may be